Welcome to our first bulletin of the year. Ringgold has been busy working to develop our services and we are pleased to announce an updated user interface for the Consortium Directory Online, a new schema for the Identify Database, a new REST API, and a more automated Validate Service.
The new year has brought a very unwelcome global viral pandemic that has affected a number of conferences and also people’s ability to travel and meet face-to-face. With the recent cancellation of London Book Fair we missed meeting many of our customers and contacts, and again with the cancellation of the forthcoming UKSG conference. However, Ringgold is structured as an online and virtual organization with a robust business continuity plan in place, so please be assured that our services will operate without interruption or disruption. We are available to meet in a virtual setting at your convenience.
We wish everyone good health and positive outcomes as we adapt to our changing world.
Meet with us at SSP
The Ringgold team is excited to meet with fellow professionals and share our expertise at one of the industry’s most anticipated events in the conference calendar. Find us at the SSP Annual Meeting in Boston, MA during May 27-29 at Booth 309 to discuss how our authoritative data and data services can support all phases of the research & publication lifecycle.
ISNI – International Standard Name Identifier
Standards are the backbone of building consistent data, which is the foundation of good data governance. While many resources are available for Unique Persistent Standard Identifiers, Ringgold would like to remind everyone that the only internationally recognized standard for the identification of institutions and individuals is the ISNI.
This identifier is included in every Ringgold record and serves as a functional bridge identifier across a wide variety of datasets and industries. Ringgold provides anyone interested with a free lookup and API at our website: https://isni.ringgold.com/
CDO new interface
We are very pleased to announce that we have launched a new user interface for the Consortium Directory Online. This provides a fresh new look and feel and makes CDO easier to use.
More information can be found here: https://support.ringgold.com/cdo-walkthrough
Identify Database API v2.7
Ringgold has released a new version of the REST API, v2.7. This has an additional token and suggest element that will work with a customer’s JavaScript, embedded in webforms or other forms, to produce type-ahead, look-ahead or auto-complete input fields. Full details are available on our Customer Support site: https://support.ringgold.com/identify-database-api-services/
Identify Database new schema
Ringgold continues to develop the Identify Database and we have just released a new schema, version 2.4. The new schema includes a new table structure with fewer tables and a detailed ontology to interpret the tables. Also included is a relationship table and this provides the ability to roll up the Ringgold hierarchies to the top level. See new schema details here: https://support.ringgold.com/identify-database-version-2-4/
Validate Service REST API
We have developed, and are currently customer testing, a more automated version of our Validate Service that uses an API call. If you are interested in using this service then please get in touch.
ShareFile FTP issue
A number of our clients recently reported problems accessing data files using ShareFile FTP as part of their automated downloading of weekly exports. We traced this to an issue with the ShareFile FTP server user name, specifically the short name (also called the ‘alternate name’). ShareFile are currently working on a fix for this. However, if you do encounter an issue with the automation process please use the ShareFile FTP email address user name, rather than the short name, in any automated processes. The FTP user name can be found in Settings > Advanced Connections.
In addition, Citrix continues to enhance the security of ShareFile and as such the system will start blocking known weak passwords when signing in. You may need to reset your password if prompted.
OFR Data Update
We have recently updated Identify to include additional data from the latest release of the Crossref Funder Registry (v1.30).
We’re constantly working in the background to enhance our services for you
So far this year, our data editors have updated 14,993 Identify Records and added 2,064 brand new records. We will continue to regularly review organizations throughout 2020.
Some recent organization changes of interest:
- French research networks INRA and IRSTEA merged on 1 January 2020 into the new INRAE research network (Institut de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l’environnement et l’agriculture – Ringgold ID 27057). We have updated the database hierarchy.
- Université Paris-XIII (ID 27097) changed its name to Université Sorbonne Paris Nord on 1 January 2020. All associated records were updated.
- Université Paris Descartes (ID 26907) and Université Paris Diderot (ID 27066) merged into the new Université de Paris (ID 555089). We are currently in the process of re-ordering and updating the two university hierarchies into the new university hierarchy.
Other academic hierarchies we recently reviewed include: University of Wisconsin-Madison (ID 5228), The University of Iowa (ID 4083), Université de Montreal (ID 5622), Sofijski universitet Sv Kliment Ohridski (ID 54527), The University of Alabama System (ID 8059), The University of Tennessee System (ID 4285), University of Maine System (ID 6251), plus the majority of Greek universities.
In addition, we also updated the entire Ringgold ID 2394 NHS England hierarchy of 1,800 records, reflecting the latest changes to its operational structure – introducing 7 NHS regions and 44 local sustainability and transformation partnerships (STPs).
Customer Support
Our Customer Support website is available 24/7 at https://support.ringgold.com. Find detailed help and user guides for all of our products and services. Or you can contact us directly: support@ringgold.com